Paint roller having a detachable frame



Feb. 6, 1962 E. J. DENHOLTZ 3,019,466

PAINT ROLLER HAVING A DETACHABLE FRAME Filed Feb. 19, 1960 4 7' TOe/V YS,

United States Patent 3,019,466 PAINT ROLLER HAVING A DETACHABLE This invention relates to paint rollers, and more particularly to a paint roller of the type having a frame which may be separated readily from the spreading roller element to allow the roller element to be replaced or cleaned.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved paint roller which is simple in construction, which is easy to take apart whenever necessary, and which is arranged so that the paint spreading roller element thereof may be easily detached from the frame for cleaning or replacement whenever required.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved paint roller which is inexpensive to fabricate, which is durable in construction, and which is so arranged that the frame portion thereof need not be discarded when the paint spreading element thereof becomes Worn or otherwise unsuitable for further use, means being provided for detaching the worn or damaged paint spreading element from the frame and for rapidly and easily replacing the paint spreading element.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claim, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken through an improved paint roller constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing the parts of the paint roller of FIGURES 1 and 2 in separated positions.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved paint roller assembly in accordance with the present invention. The assembly 11 comprises a handle rod 12 having the generally V-shaped loop 13 formed therein, said loop terminating in a transversely extending straight shaft portion 14 which is arranged substantially at right angles to the gripping portion 15 on which is mounted the gripping handle 16, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 1.

Designated at 17 is a first annular cap member which is provided with the circular end wall 18 and with the generally cylindrical peripheral flange 19, the circular wall 18 being rotatively secured on the end of the straight shaft portion 14, as by means of respective retaining washers 20 and 21 secured on the shaft portion 14 on the opposite sides of the circular wall 18. Designated at 22 is a second annular cap member which is freely and rotatably mounted on the straight shaft portion 14 in opposing relationship to the first annular cap member 17. As shown in FIGURE 1, the freely rotatable annular cap member 22 is spaced a substantial distance from the first cap member 17 and is located near the bend 23 of the V-shaped loop 13.

Designated generally at 25 is a coiled spring which is provided with closely wound end turns 26 and 27 which are ti htly engaged in the respective opposing cap members 22 and 17 and which are connected by the widely spaced helical intermediate portion 23. The widely spaced turns of the helical intermediate portion 28 surround the straight shaft portion 14 and have a diameter substantially lm'ger than the diameters of the closely spaced end turns 25 and 27.

ice

Designated at 32 is a cylindrical roller member which is provided with the outer flexible paint-spreading surface member 29 adapted to absorb paint and to distribute the paint on a surface over Which the roller traverses, in the well known manner. The paint-carrying member 29 may comprise any suitable paint-absorbing material commonly employed on the paint-spreading element of a conventional paint roller.

The cylindrical roller member 32 has the rigid inner shell 30 which is slidably engageable over the cap members 17 and 22 but whose internal diameter is somewhat less than the normal diameter of the extended helical intermediate portion 28 of the coiled spring 25. Thus, the normal diameter of the extended intermediate portion 28 is sufficiently large so that said intermediate extended helical portion 28 exerts a resilient gripping force on the inside surface of the shell member 30 to retain the roller 32 in the position thereof shown in FIGURE 1. Thus, the extended helical intermediate portion 28 of the coiled spring exerts a frictional retaining force on the inside surface of the roller member which is distributed over the major portion of the length of said roller member, where- 'by to hold the roller member on the straight shaft portion 14 during the normal use of the device. The helical gripping portion 28 is sufficiently yieldable to allow the roller member to tbe pulled off the rotatable supporting cap members 22 and 17 whenever it is desired to remove the roller member for cleaning or to replace same.

From the above description, it will be apparent that when a roller member 32 becomes worn or damaged, the roller member may be readily replaced without the necessity of discarding the supporting frame therefor. Moreover, the same supporting frame may be employed with a number of different roller members, for example, where different colors or types of paint are being used on a given job, making it unnecessary to clean the roller member of the device when changing from one color or type of paint to another during the course of the job.

While a specific embodiment of an improved paint roller has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A paint roller comprising a handle rod formed with a straight shaft portion having a free end, a first circular cap member, means rotatably securing said cap member on the end of said straight shaft portion and preventing the cap member from moving axially on said straight shaft portion, a second circular cap member freely and rotatably mounted on said straight shaft portion at a location spaced from the first cap member and being free to move axially on the shaft portion, said cap members facing each other and being inwardly concave in opposing relation, a coiled spring having respective end turns which are relatively closely wound and a longitudinally extended yieldable intermediate portion whose turns are relatively widely spaced, said end turns being tightly secured in and held respectively in said cap members with said intermediate portion surrounding said straight shaft portion between said cap members, and a removable rigid cylindrical roler member slidably engaged over said cap members and surrounding the helical intermediate portion of the spring, the turns of said yiel able intermediate portion being substantially larger in normal diameter than said cap members and being substantially larger in normal diameter than the inside diameter of said roller member, whereby to exert a yieldable expansive frictional gripping force on the intermecliate portion of the inside surface of and to support. said roller member, the spring being substantially free to expand longitudinally when the roller member is engaged on said intermediate portion of the spring, due to the freedom of movement of the second cap member on the shaft portion, whereby to facilitate the mounting and removal of the roller member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Johnson Ian. 22, 1946 Thomas et al Aug. 29, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS France Apr. 30, 1952 France June 15, 1955 

